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Hello, as with every season I like to round up some things I’m excited to use. Today I am sharing a few festive items.

Body cream- I have heard literally every other beauty blogger recommend this cream. I was sick of hearing about how great it was and how delicious it smells. I finally bought the bullet and got a travel size tub. I love it! This cream truly delivers moisture which is essential for when it is cooler and dryer. And yes, it does smell really good!

Body mist- A Thousand Wishes is a popular recurring holiday fragrance from BBW. It smells like sparkles and champagne and a shimmery gold lame dress!

Candle I couldn’t talk about my favourite things without including a candle. This is a repeat purchase: Marshmallow Fireside from White Barn/BBW. This one has a woodsy yet sweet smell.

Body wash- Snow Angel by Philosophy, one of my favourite bath and body companies has a crisp slighlty warm sugary smell. I got this in a mini size because I only plan on using it during the festive season. Philosophy products always have a strong yet not overpowering scent and they give a good lather leaving your skin clean and moisturiser.

Eyeshadow palette- This palette, Prism by Anastasia Beverley Hills is their holiday edition. I love the glittery jewel and metallic tones but I am also super intrigued by the bright matter. ABH ‘s formula is generally very pigmented and smooth and this palette is no different. I think it’s awesome for the holiday season but definitely great year round.

Tea- Over the past year I have become very fond of tea. My preference is a fruit or even floral tea but this Chai spice tea is flavourful, spicy and very festive. It’s great warm with some milk but I actually like my tea (and coffe) cold and sans milk.
Those are a few of my favourite festive things. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!

Happy spring! So even though the Spring Equinox isn’t until March 20th, today is the day where clocks spring forward, so technically it’s spring right. I should also add that I do not live in a temperate climate so technically these seasons aren’t experienced where I am but it doesn’t stop me from totally getting excited about this time of year.

I decided to do a post sharing some things I have been recently enjoying and plan to continue doing so into the upcoming spring season. The items aren’t spring themed, just happen to be living them right now.

MAKEUP

Sweet Peach palette by Too Faced

This palette is a re-release from Too Faced, originally being a limited edition but now added to the right permanent line and massively expanded to include highlighters, blush and lip colours. This was a surprise favourite for me because initially I was unimpressed. Quite a few beauty bloggers/vloggers expressed disappointment with the palette and I was genuinely turned off. I actually walked into Sephora to purchase an entirely different palette a few weeks ago and just glanced over at this one. I switched the colours and I was hooked.

Packaging

The packaging is the standard Too Faced metal palette that closes magnetically. It is ombre peach coloured with raised peaches across it. This actually makes it a bit difficult to stack with other flat palettes.

Product

This palette costs $49 US and it contains 18 shadows each 0.95g .There are 5 matte shares all in neutral colours that I think can work for any skin tone. The rest of the palette is comprised of satiny and shimmers in corals, coppers and purples as well as an olive shade and a shimmery black shade.

Impression

For me, I love this palette. I can create complete looks with it alone including a completely neutral look (but why would you want to with all these awesome shades)
Moda Makeup Brushes

Moda face brushes

By now most of us who have an interest in makeup would have heard of the Artis makeup brushes. For those who haven’t , it’s a set of flat head high end makeup brushes. These brushes made their rounds in the beauty community last year but for many of us regular folk the price was just too high. Then came the dupes.There are more than a few companies who have fashioned their version of the Artis makeup face brushes charging a pretty penny for them too. Then came Moda. This brand has been steadily making a name for itself as a brightly coloured, affordable, decent quality drugstore makeup tools line. I first knew of this brand of face brushes through Emmy Noel, one of my favourite beauty YouTubers. She gave them her stamp of approval and that was all I needed to hear. This set of four brushes goes for around $15 US at Walmart and is by far the cheapest I have seen any of these brushes yet.

Style

These are paddle head brushes compared to your typical makeup brushes with very densely packed fires. The colour is awesome resembling a cross between oil slick and mermaid skin on the handles and unicorn hair for the bristles. Honestly I was sold on the appearance alone.Function

The largest brush is meant for foundation (liquid or creme). The second size is meant for blush and bronzer. The third one is for contouring and the fourth and smallest is meant for concealer. Obviously you can use the however you like. I find myself getting the most use out of the two larger ones. I appreciate applying my foundation with something different to a sponge. I also find I use less product when I use this brush to apply. The blush brush is the perfect size for blush application.

If you are interested in this style of makeup brushes but can’t or won’t splurge on the more expensive version, definitely give these a go.

Colour Switch

Color Switch by Vera Mona

This little tin here was a true game changer for me. A colour switch allows you to reuse the same makeup brushes in the same time frame i.e while creating the same look. I was going crazy trying to create a cute look and realising I didn’t quite have enough brushes to do it with. If I used my brush cleaner, the brush got wet and wouldn’t dry out in time.

Until

I got

Color Switch

This invention is genius. It is essentially a circular chunk of very porous, hard sponge not unlike that found in aquarium filters. You rub the brush in circles to get off product. You can use both sides and wash it when it gets particularly dirty.

Milani Lip Color Remover

In this day and age where long wear matte lipsticks are a dime a dozen, this little tube is a saving grace. It is the colour and consistency of a petroleum jelly lip gloss. This thing really works! Just put it on and remove using a bit of tissue and the lip color comes right off.

SKIN AND BODY CARE

Elf Hydrating Bubble Mask

E.l.f mask

While other drugstore brands are busy expanding their makeup line, e.l.f has done that and is now making a foray into affordable skin care. So far I’ve seen facial cleansers, masks, day and night time moisturizers. I picked this one up because I’ve been curious about bubble masks but didn’t want to buy an expensive one only to hate it. I don’t hate this. I have feelings opposite to hate for this.

Packaging

The packaging with this skin care line is a real winner. It is in a pale aqua cylindrical tub set into frosted translucent hard glass making it look rather luxe. The product comes through a hole in the top via a pumping motion.

Product

The mask comes out as a clear almost greasy substance with a mild you citrus scent. Upon touching moist skin it becomes white and foamy but it takes about two minutes before it truly bubbles. Bubble masks feel weird. Lol. The sensation is tingly and feels as if I poured a Sprite onto my face. After use my face felt clean but not dry which is what the product promised.

Philosophy Pink Marshmallow Buttercream shower gel

Shower gel

Philosophy makes intensely scented bath and body products. Whatever the scent is on the bottle is EXACTLY what it smells like.This can be used as shower gel, bubble bath or shampoo. It lathers well and leaves a gentle lingering scent on your skin. What I love about Philosophy products like this is that they print actual recipes on the front of the bottles to go along with the fragrance. I picked this one up from T.J Maxx and paid about $4 which is about half of the original price (according to T.J. Maxx)

Body Shop Italian Summer Figure Body Cream

Cream

Yes, I am featuring a summer fig cream in a spring favourites post. This was another T.J.Maxx (my favourite off-price retail store) find and it was a good one. I paid $5US for mine but you can get it from The Body Shop for about $10. This cream comes in the traditional Body shop cream container and the graphics are clean and simple as with most body shop products. It smells delicious. It is rich and a little sweet with a fresh almost grassy undertone. It’s the type of scent that makes you constantly sniff your hands (or foot or whatever body part you put it on). The consistency of the cream is soft and whipped and extremely moisturizing.

FRAGRANCE

Elizabeth and James Nirvana rollerballs

Rollerballs

Elizabeth and James is a line owned by the prolific business savvy Olsen twins: Mary-Kate and Ashley. The names come from two of their younger siblings and the Nirvana fragrances have become more and more popular.

I previously used the Nirvana White as a fragrance sampler set I got from Sephora about a year ago. Since then I’ve been hooked. The Nirvana line now has four fragrances: E&J Nirvana White, E&J Nirvana Black, E&J Nirvana Rose and E&J Nirvana Bourbon.

These fragrances have something for everyone occasion. The White has a clean fresh daytime scent. Black is darker and more musky and great for evening to night. Rose is light and romantic and almost powdery, fantastic for day wear or a date night. Bourbon is my favorite. It does somewhat embody the essence of Bourbon. It has depth and a bit of sweetness. I prefer this for nighttime but it can work in the day as well.

I purchased this set of four rollerballs from Sephora for $28 which is a bit of a bargain for rollerballs these days. I am into buying sample or travel sizes of items because it allows me to test something before committing to a full size as well as giving an opportunity to try many things at once.

BBW Tomato Vine Candle

Candle

This candle smells diVINE! (get it?) Bath and body Works continues to grow their candle line exploring more sophisticated scents. This is one of those and what a great job they did. This candle smells earthy, green and a little bit tart. It is very fragrant and throws fairly well. This works well being burnt in the mid morning to early afternoon as well as a fragrant backdrop for an after dinner glass of wine.

Those are my spring favourites. Maybe something I featured is a favourite of yours or maybe you’ll want to test out some for yourself. Have an awesome day!

Today I thought I would share some of the things putting me in a festive mood.

Anastacia of Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario

ABH Master paletteby Mario

This limited edition palette by Mario (known for doing Kim Kardashian’s makeup and making contouring popular among non-makeup artists) was released in October and isn’t meant to be a “holiday” palette per se but to me the colours in it embody festive colours; muted jewel tones and metallics. The shadows are high quality,smooth and easy to blend and you can create a myriad of looks from these 12 shades. And of course, it’s fabulous for year round use.

Milani Metallic Matte Liquid Lipcolour

Milani Metallic Lipcolour in Amor

This drugstore brand knows what it’s doing, it has for quite sometime. When I first heard of metallic mattes I couldn’t understand , to me metallic means shiny and matte means not shiny but it works. This lip colour dries down completely matte but maintains a vibrant metallic look. Due to my love of all red lipstick I chose this colour: Amor. Like the ABH palette, it wasn’t meant for holiday time specifically but if you out this colour on, you look instantly festive.

Spiced Gingerbread Cookie by Philosophy

Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shower gel

Philosophy , I don’t know how you did it but it seems like you actually crumbled real spiced gingerbread cookies into this shower gel. This little bottle of Christmas cheer smells sweet and spicy but clean, not overwhelming in any way. The colour, a metallic copper tone is beautiful and as with all Philosophy products there is writing all over the front- this is an actual recipe for a gingerbread cookie ! Having a shower with this outs me in a great mood and makes me feel festive.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses

SJM, is a prolific YA/Fantasy Novelist with a number of popular series namely the “Throne of Glass” series. This book is the first in this series (A Court of Thorns and roses) This book comes highly recommend by just about every BookTuber (YouTube channels dedicate books) and book bloggers and the last series that came highly recommended :The Lunar Chronicles changed my life!

So this book, as far as I know has nothing to do with Christmas . But what males it festive for me is that I am looking forward to getting cozy and reading it over the holiday season.

Bath and Body Works candles

BBW Candles

What festive holiday favourites list would be complete without at least one BBW item. BBW releases scents for all seasons and Christmas is one of the best in my opinion . I took it easy and only bought 3 of the large 3 wick candles which I got on sale for $12.50 US a piece.

Pictured here is :

Twisted Peppermint:-This is a strong one, and it smell exactly like peppermint. It’s a good pick me up king of candle.

Marshmallow Fireside– Thank goodness BBW changed the colour of this candle from that murky grey they used in the Fall release. Now it looks as beautiful as it smells. The scent is like a mild version of a toasted marshmallow, not super sweet like a lot of marshmallow scents are.

Winter Candy Apple– This candle smells delicious . There is a tart undertone like you would expect from a crisp granny smith apple with a sweet but mellow overtone , like candy.

So these are a few of my festive things. What items make you feel like the holidays are here? Thanks for reading and have an awesome day !